In today's demand driven business world, customers are asking for more product options and choices, which have resulted in the proliferation of options available for each configuration. This problem is particularly acute for manufacturers producing products with high configuration content including automotive, industrial products, telecommunications equipment, and industrial machinery. For example, because of the proliferation of options, manufacturers find it very difficult to determine which combination of options should be packaged together to address particular market needs, minimize reconfigurations and inventory costs, and lost revenue due to unfulfilled demand. Today, manufacturers lack a proactive and forward looking process that allows them to evaluate trends of option consumption by customers and determine which combination of options should be packaged together. This inability to proactively determine which combination of options should be packaged together is undesirable.